Fire-escape.



No. 755,833. PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

' E. W. APPELMAN.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILE-I) MAY 27, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented March 29, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FIRE-ESCAPE."

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,833, dated March29, 1904'. Application'iiled May 27, 1903. `Serial No. 158,986. (Nomodel.)

To 00M w/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERAsTUs W. APPELMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing `at Clermont, in the county of Fayette and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Improvernent in Fire-Escapes, of which thefollowing is a'specification.

My invention relates to fire-escapes, and has for its objects to producea device of this character which will be simple of construction,eiiicient in operation, one which may be manufactured and sold at aminimum cost, and one in which the speed of unwinding of the life-linefrom the drum may be readily controlled.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises the noveldetails of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafterdescribed.

In the accompanying'drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of afire-escape constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is acentral longitudinal sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is atransverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 as viewed in the directionof the arrow.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a normally horizontal shaft,which is by preference hollow for the sake of lightness, and 2 is a drumor spool Xedly associated in any suitable manner with theshaft at itslongitudinal center. This drum has normally'wound upon it a life-line 3,preferably composed of wire and adapted when unwound from the drumduring the operation of the device to rotate the drum and likewise theshaft 1 for the purpose which will presently appear. The lifeline 3 isprovided at its free end with a ring 4, swiveled to the end of a screw5, adapted for engagement with the window 'sill,l said screw havingformed upon it a sill-hook 6.

7 7 indicate a pair of sheet-metal air-cylinders mounted upon the shaft1, one at either side of the drum 2, and to the inner end of eachcylinder is riveted a plate 8, which projects below the cylinder and is`provided with an outwardly-projecting flange 9. l

10 is a plate which is secured to the flanges 9 of the plates 8 byrivets or the like, which also engage a clamp-plate 11, between whichand the plate 10 is clamped a strap 12, which during the use of thedevice is secured around the body of the operator.

The shaft 1 is externally screw-threaded within andv throughout thelength the cylinders 7, as at 13 and 14, the threads 13 beingleft-handed, while the other threads, 14, are right-handed. Engagingwith the threaded portion 13 of the shaft within the left-hand cylinder7 is a piston-head 15, and upon the threaded portion 14 within theright-hand cylinder 7 is a similar piston-head 16. These heads are inthreaded engagement with the threads of the shaft and are adapted whenthe shaft is rotated, owing to unwinding of the line 3 from the drum, totravel along the shaft from their normal position at the outer endsthereof 'inward toward the longitudinal center of the shaft, thuscompressing the air within the cylinders and controllingy the speed ofunwinding of the line 3, as will be readily understood. In order thatthe compression of the air within the cylinders may be properly reg-lulated according to the weight of the operator, each cylinder hasmounted upon its normally upper side anescape-tube 17, which extendslongitudinally of the cylinder and communicates with the interiorof thesame at its opposite ends through the medium of perforations 18 andallows the air to pass from one end of the cylinder to the other duringthe inward travel of the piston, the rapidity of the flow of the airbeing controlled by a valve 19 in the form of a screw tapped into theair-tube 17 and operable for regulating thesize of its central airduct.Thus it will be seen that when the screw 19 is manipulated to permit theair to flow freely from the inner end of the cylinder to Ythe outer endthereof the piston-head 15 will travel more freely and the line 3 willunwind more rapidly from the drum, whereas if the valve is regulated toretard the passage of air a reverse action will follow.

In order to prevent rotation of the pistonheads with` the shaft and tocause them to travel longitudinally of the shaft, each cylinder hasformed upon its inner wall longitudinally thereof a rib 20, which isengaged by a notch formed in the edge of the piston-head; but it is tobe understood that any other means may be employed for the attainment ofthis end.

After the line has been unwound from the drum during the operation ofthe device the operation of again Winding the same upon the drum willcause the rotation of the shaft 1 in the reverse direction and serve tomove the piston-heads to their normal position at the outer ends of thecylinders. During this return movement of the heads the air shouldescape freely from in advance of them to their rear in order that thedrum may be rotated more rapidly for winding the line, and in order toadmit of this free passage of the air and the free operation of the drumI provide each of the piston-heads With one or more Hap-valves 2l, whichopen to admit the passage of the air during the return movement of theheads, but which of course close to prevent passage of the air duringthe inward travel of the heads.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I produce a device which issimple of construction, eflicient in operation, and capable of readymanipulation and one which in practice will admirably perform itsfunctions, and in attaining these ends it is to be understood that I donot limit myself to the details of construction herein shown anddescribed, inasmuch as various changes may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of my invention.

While I have described the use of air in connection with my device, itwill be understood, of course, that air or other fluid may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is* In a fire-escape,the combination with a shaft, of a pair of cylinders mounted thereon, adrum fixed upon the shaft between the cylinders, a line wound upon thedrum and adapted in unwinding to rotate the shaft, a pair of movableheads mounted upon the shaft one within each of the cylinders andoperable by the rotation of the shaft to compress a fluid in thecylinders, means for attaching the described device to a person, anattaching device connected with the free end of the line, apair offluid-ducts one eX- tending longitudinally of each of the cylinders andcommunicating therewith at opposite sides of the head, and means underconstant control of the operator for regulating the passage of fluidthrough the ducts.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxedsignature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ERASTUS W. APPELMAN.

Witnesses:

JOHN P. PAGE, C. (J. BRUNDAGER.

